The unfinished promise "When will you return to the country after reunification" and the last letter of a martyr from Ha Nam

“My homeland, please allow me to send my greetings, to send my family so many memories… Dear parents, as long as I am still strong, I will continue to go to the end of the Fatherland where the Party currently needs me…” The emotional letter, containing so much love and affection from a party member, communist soldier Nguyen Quang Luong (Dai Cuong commune, Kim Bang district, now Dai Cuong ward, Kim Bang town) sent back to his family and beloved homeland to go to the Southern battlefield to fight for the cause of independence and freedom for the country.

55 years after the day the martyr lay forever on the battlefield, his blood dyeing the national flag, the touching letter published by the family of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong has made many people feel grateful for the shining example of revolutionary morality, determination and sense of responsibility of a soldier of Uncle Ho before the fate of the Fatherland.

Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong was born in 1938 in Dai Cuong commune, Kim Bang district. He enlisted in February 1968. In the story told to us, Mrs. Le Thi Le, born in 1942, a native of the same hometown, wife of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong, is no longer lucid enough to remember exactly the process of enlisting and the name of the unit where her husband was stationed in the early days. She only remembers that in those years, with the enthusiasm of young men in wartime, her husband and his comrades in the unit enthusiastically and excitedly set off for the southern battlefield with the spirit of "all for the front line, all for the beloved South, all to defeat the American invaders".

The last letter of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong sent to his family before going to the South to fight and die.

“The last time my family visited him at his unit before he went to B, seeing me crying so much, he said: “You and your parents can rest assured. My comrades and I have sworn to leave to protect our country. When the country is unified, I will return!” – Mrs. Le choked up as she recounted.

In February 1969, on the way to the South to fight, Mr. Luong's unit stopped at Dong Van town, Duy Tien district (now Dong Van ward, Duy Tien town), less than 10 km from his hometown of Dai Cuong commune, Kim Bang district. At that time, Mrs. Le Thi Le had just given birth to her second daughter for more than a month. Although she had telegraphed the news to her parents to come to the unit's stopover location to meet before entering the battlefield, due to the urgent time, when Mr. Luong's father came to visit his son, his unit had already boarded a train to the South. In a hastily written letter sent back to his family before leaving for battle, Mr. Luong expressed his regret: "Dear parents, today my battalion stopped in Dong Van, I really wanted to go home but couldn't... If only I could go home to visit my parents and the whole family, even if it was just half an hour, it would be my life's wish...". Also in this letter, the young soldier seemed to want to pour out all his deep longing and love for his parents, wife, children and siblings into the small page: “First of all, I send my warmest greetings and a thousand times of love to my parents and the whole family. Dear parents, I have been far away from here on out. My duty is to know how to repay and repay the efforts of my parents in raising me.”

Not only that, the letter is also an encouragement from a soldier on the battlefield to the rear in his hometown, a demonstration of the will and courage of a party member: “I have thought a lot, my thoughts will be integrated into the thoughts of the communists... Parents, please believe in me and wait for news of my victory. Parents, please do not be afraid or worry too much about me, even if I have to stop breathing for a moment, I am determined not to do anything that will harm the honor of a party member, of my parents, of my family and of my grandchildren in the future...” “…As long as I am strong, I will keep going and will go to the end of the Fatherland that the Party currently needs”.

Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong fought bravely and died in December 1969 without being able to fulfill his promise.

When this letter was sent to Mr. Nguyen Quang Luong's family, he and his comrades were fighting on the southern front. It was also his last letter to his family, because only 10 months later, on December 3, 1969, he sacrificed himself. The promise "when the country is unified, I will return" to his hard-working wife in his hometown could not be fulfilled. Nothing is more painful than the pain of losing a loved one. Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong remained forever on the battlefield, leaving behind his elderly parents, his virtuous wife and two young children. In the midst of the many difficulties of wartime, but with the promise in front of the portrait of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong, family members encouraged each other to overcome the pain and rise up in life. Mrs. Le Thi Le not only worked hard to raise her children, but also enthusiastically participated in production activities in the rear to support the front line. For many years, she also achieved the title of emulation fighter and was commended.

As for the two daughters of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong, the example of their father's sacrifice and the last letter he sent to his family were the source of motivation that helped them overcome the difficulties of life. Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, the youngest daughter of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong, shared: "When my father sacrificed, I was not yet 2 years old, so I have no memories of him. But through the stories of my family members and especially when reading the letter my father left, I feel lucky and proud that I have a heroic father. Even though he is no longer with us, his letter has motivated me so that no matter what difficulties I encounter in life, I will not be discouraged and will try my best to live well, do many useful things to be worthy of my father."

According to Ms. Oanh, the luckiest thing was that after many years of searching for information, in 2010, with the help of sectors, localities and units, the family found and brought the remains of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong to rest at the Martyrs' Cemetery in Dai Cuong Ward, Kim Bang Town so that family members could visit the grave and burn incense for their husband and father. In July 2024, the family of Martyr Nguyen Quang Luong decided to send this letter to the press so that many people would know about the shining example of revolutionary morality and the noble ideals of the previous generation - those who were willing to dedicate their youth to their ideals so that the country could blossom with Independence and bear the fruit of Freedom.

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Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/xa-hoi/loi-hua-dang-do-bao-gio-thong-nhat-to-quoc-anh-ve-va-la-thu-cuoi-cung-cua-nguoi-liet-sy-ha-nam-165039.html